Anakin and Luke had been all the way across Maridun and back what seemed like hundreds of times. Tomorrow, they'd have to report back to the Council with nothing. The thought disturbed Anakin greatly.
Luke had fallen asleep already, but Anakin was still awake, watching the stars above him. Slowly shaking his head, he closed his eyes and turned around, heading back the short distance to the clearing he and Luke had set up camp in.
As he suspected, Luke was still sound asleep, spread out on the grassy ground, the dulling fire lighting his sleeping features. Anakin smiled slightly, remembering how Luke used to look as a child, always refusing to go to bed. Leia had been similar, except Luke had always fallen right asleep, when told to, while Leia could stay awake for hours.
Leia. His mind drifted back to his pregnant daughter, safe on Coruscant with Han and Padmé. He had been more than delighted to hear that their family was expanding once more. However, then the bittersweet thought had come that they'd lose Leia within the ranks of the Jedi.
It hadn't even occurred to him until now that Leia could just as easily be lost as Padmé almost was in her pregnancy. Anakin's artificial hand clenched into a fist.
Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself, remembering that his need to save Padmé had almost led him to eternal darkness.
Letting out a sigh, Anakin figured it would be wise to get some sleep. Taking one last look at his son, Anakin laid down on the ground, opposite Luke.
The sound of a beating heart pounded within his skull. Screams emitted from the darkness. The blurry image of Leia erupted into his sight. Tears streaked down her face, pain written across it.
The wails of children drifted from background noise to full-on racket. Two young infants covered Leia's image, screaming the sounds filling his ears.
Padmé's face joined the medley, worry and fear painted on it. Her hands wrung almost painfully in front of her.
Luke took over Padmé's face, a cry of defiance coming from his mouth. The shining of his lightsaber lit the image. Anakin himself joined Luke, close behind. The clashing of lightsabers was all he could see or hear.
Leia's face returned, the tears drying upon it, anger in her chocolate brown eyes. Without so much as a word, she beheaded an unseen man.
The two infants came back with a vengeance, screaming louder this time, though it hardly seemed possible.
Anakin sat up, breathing loudly. He reached up to fist a hand in his hair, looking around. He realized with a start that he was still on Maridun, and the sky was tinted red with the sunrise.
A look in Luke's direction told Anakin that he was only just waking. Anakin looked away to his lap. "They're returning…" he whispered to himself. He hadn't missed the over twenty year lapse in dreams. Now, all of a sudden, they were thrust back at him, bringing him back in time. The only other times he had ever witnessed such dreams were about death, and people he loved. Having them again could only mean horrible things.
"What's returning?" Luke asked his father groggily, sitting up slowly and giving Anakin a questioning glance.
Vainly, not wanting to worry his son, Anakin responded "Nothing. Only a bad dream."
Luke knew better though, as Anakin should have known. He had been told about Anakin's terrible dreams of the future. "About?"
"It was nothing," Anakin insisted, standing. He kicked dirt onto the already almost dead fire. "Time to get moving. We'll have a little more time to search before we have to report in to the Council."
Luke stared at his father for a long moment before he nodded and stood also. He'd have to question Anakin some other time, when he wasn't under so much stress. But, when was that?
"Now, I'm thinking we should go check out that mountain up there," Anakin continued, unaware of Luke's thoughts. "We've never actually searched inside, and it seems the perfect hiding place."
"Alright," Luke agreed, checking to make sure his lightsaber was still clipped to his belt. "You lead the way?"
Anakin smirked. "Always."
"They're coming here, Master," a tall, red-haired woman said, turning to the man hidden by shadows. He stepped from within them, letting the morning sunshine highlight the markings all across his body.
"Send your troops out to keep them busy," he commanded her in a gruff voice. "In due time, they'll be our guests. But for now, they'll need to be stalled."
The woman half-nodded, half-bowed her head. "As you wish, Master."
She turned and headed back further into the cave, her long black robe fluttering behind her. The man stood at the cave opening, watching Anakin and Luke's progress towards him. A smile played on his lips.
"Father," Luke started as they traveled closer and closer to the large mountain. "What are we to do, if we find the clan? Do we fight? Or do we report back to the Council first?"
Anakin glanced at Luke before returning his gaze to their destination. "It depends on whether they see us first."
Luke nodded slowly. "Well…alright. Say they do see us, we fight?" Anakin nodded.
It was silent between them after that. The only sound was the sound of their feet hitting the ground, and the occasional rustling of trees as branches were moved.
Closer to the mountain, but still not at it yet, Anakin stopped. He held up his hand to stop Luke also. Anakin's eyes slid closed, listening. Luke held his breath.
In seconds, Anakin's lightsaber was out and inches from the throat of a black-cloaked man. Luke quickly grabbed his own lightsaber, igniting it.
"Who sent you?" Anakin asked the man through clenched teeth. His eyes were narrowed and staring right at the man's steeled face.
"Wouldn't you like to know," the man hissed in a low, deep voice.
Luke turned in time to meet a lightsaber with his own. The perpetrator was a woman, also in a black cloak. Their lightsabers clashed repeatedly.
Anakin backed away as the man pulled out his own lightsaber, holding it at him. Seemingly out of nowhere, black-cloaked figures surrounded them, each holding a lightsaber. Anakin and Luke exchanged a worried glance.